If You Really Love Something
by Narcina
Summary: Ryoko follows the advice of an old saying, and some unexpected things happen


Disclaimer: No, I don't own Tenchi Muyo. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfics, I'd be writing episodes. Some very rich people own Tenchi Muyo, and I envy them. I also beg them not to sue me. I'm just a pathetic fan. Besides, I'm very attached to my penny, (that's right, all the money I have is a penny, ONE penny) and I don't want it taken from me.  
  
If You Really Love Something…  
  
Ryoko sat on the roof of the Masaki house and gazed up at the stars. She longed to be back up in space, flying free without a care in the world, but she couldn't bear to leave Tenchi. He was the only thing really keeping her here, and as long as she still had a chance to be with him, no matter how small, she would stay by his side.  
  
She had been spending most of her nights up on the roof recently, and when morning came she would phase into Tenchi's room and float above his bed, watching him sleep. She hadn't slept for weeks now; she didn't really need to, but it was easier than using her one gem to restore her power. She just hadn't felt much like sleeping lately; she wasn't even drawing as much power from her gem as usual.  
  
For the past few years, she had been waiting for Tenchi to make a decision. For the past few years, Tenchi had been turning down her advances, and for the past few years, Tenchi had been afraid of her. He was just as afraid of her now as he was the day he released her from that dreadful cave. She was, is, and would always be a demon to him, or so she thought.  
  
Truthfully, Ryoko didn't even realize she was starving herself of energy. Depression works that way sometimes. Ryoko looked up and saw a faint hint of pink along the horizon.  
  
'Time to watch my Tenchi,' she thought as she phased into his room. He lie sprawled across his bed, one leg sticking out from underneath the covers, an arm under his pillow, and a small bit of drool coming from his mouth. 'He's so cute when he's sleeping,' she observed. 'Hell, he's cute all the time!' A smile formed on her face as she watched him peacefully slumbering.  
  
A stream of sunlight slowly worked it's way in through the window and onto the bed. A soft moan escaped Tenchi's lips as the light reached his eyes and tried to pry them open. He turned over to face away from the window in hopes of continuing his slumber, but to no avail. The sun had woken him up and ruined his sleep. He gave up and opened his eyes, groaning at the sudden brightness. As soon as his eyes adjusted to the light, he noticed Ryoko. He wasn't surprised to see her there; over the past few years he'd actually grow accustomed to it.  
  
"Good morning, Ryoko." He said politely in the exact same manner he did everyday.  
  
"Good morning, my Tenchi." Ryoko replied as she floated down next to him and gave him a hug. He was surprised; it wasn't one of her seductive hugs, it was more of a friendly hug. She even let go without being asked. Tenchi got up and left the room to take a shower, and Ryoko teleported into the kitchen to get a sample of breakfast.  
  
"Hello, Ryoko." Sasami cheerily said as she put the finishing touches on the morning meal.  
  
"Hey, kiddo." Ryoko replied as she grabbed some of the freshly prepared food, only to have her hand slapped away by the young princess.  
  
"If you're so eager to eat, then go wake up Ayeka and Mihoshi and tell them that breakfast is ready." Sasami teased. Ryoko grumbled but floated up the stairs to tell them anyway.  
  
*************  
  
Breakfast went as normal as possible. Ryoko was back to her old self, you know, seducing Tenchi and all. Tenchi was happy that she was acting normal, he was worried about her earlier, but he didn't like the fact that she was hanging all over him again, which in turn started another fight between her and Ayeka.  
  
"Get away from Lord Tenchi, you demon woman!" Ayeka yelled.  
  
"Aww, come on, Princess, its just a little hug." Ryoko joked. "And besides, we all know that Tenchi loves me, so why shouldn't I show him my affection?" She laughed and held Tenchi closer.  
  
"Lord Tenchi could never love an old mummy like you." Ayeka shot back. This led to more insults from each of them until Tenchi spoke up.  
  
"Why can't you girls eat one meal without getting into a fight?" He asked, leaving both Ryoko and Ayeka embarrassed. "Now please, stop fighting so everyone can finish breakfast." After Tenchi was done speaking, everyone continued eating.  
  
The only thing out of the ordinary about the whole meal was that Washu actually came to breakfast, and not only that, but the whole time, she kept looking at Ryoko with a worried expression on her face. No one noticed but Tenchi, and he just shrugged it off. Washu was weird and did unexplainable things, and after living with her for a while, Tenchi learned not to question her actions, lest he wanted a twelve-hour explanation.   
  
After everyone was done eating, Sasami got up and started clearing away the dishes with Ayeka's help, and everyone else went their separate ways. Tenchi was on his way to the carrot fields when Ryoko grabbed him and teleported to a clearing in the middle of the woods, taking him with her.  
  
"Look, Tenchi. We're alone." She said seductively as she latched herself onto him.  
  
"Come on, Ryoko. I've got work to do." Tenchi pleaded.  
  
"Oh, you can do that later. No one will find us for a while, lets make the best of it." She replied and pushed him to the ground, landing on top of him.  
  
"Ryoko, stop! We can't do this. Get off of me!" He exclaimed. A tear glistened in one of Ryoko's eyes as she started to fade away, but instead she just stood up and helped Tenchi to his feet. She looked him directly in the eyes and while still holding his hand, spoke to him.  
  
"Tenchi, I love you. I love you with all my heart." She began.  
  
"Ryoko, I know…" Tenchi interrupted.  
  
"No! Let me finish saying what I have to say," she begged, her eyes glistening with tears. She brought his hand closer to her. "I love you so much, Tenchi, and that's why I have to do this." He gave her a questioning look. "I'm letting you go," she continued, releasing her grip on his hand. "You're free to go, Tenchi. I've set you free." She turned away to hide the tears. "Don't you see, Tenchi? The demon has finally set you free."  
  
"You're not a demon, Ryoko," Tenchi said as he walked over to her.  
  
"Just go, Tenchi! GO! I know you don't want to be here, so go. I'm giving you the chance to go without hurting my feelings. Why won't you take it?" She yelled, tears streaking her face. Tenchi had no idea what to say. "I won't try to seduce you anymore. I won't hang all over you, or be there when you wake up, making you nervous and uncomfortable. I won't come after you anymore. Unless you come back to me, I'll leave you alone."  
  
Tenchi opened his mouth to speak, but instead he just nodded his head and began walking back to the house. As soon as he was out of sight, Ryoko collapsed to the ground and cried her eyes out until she heard a voice in her mind.  
  
*Ryoko.* Washu said through their telepathic link.  
  
*What do you want?* Ryoko half-heartedly snapped, too depressed to put her whole heart into it.  
  
*Could you come to my lab for a moment?* Washu asked then, sensing Ryoko's apprehension, added, *I promise I won't try anything. I just want to talk.*  
  
*Alright,* Ryoko complied. *I'll be right there* She teleported to the Masaki livingroom and walked into the lab, unnoticed by Mihoshi who was completely engrossed in a cartoon on the television.  
  
*************  
  
"Why did you do it?" Washu asked Ryoko who was sitting in front of her.  
  
"Why did I do what?" Ryoko asked back.  
  
"I saw it all, Ryoko. I saw what you did, and I want to know why. Why did you let Tenchi go?" Washu replied.  
  
"Damn it, Washu!" Ryoko yelled. "You had no right! You had no right to spy on me like that!"  
  
"Well you were so emotionally distressed that it was hard not to notice," Washu retorted.  
  
"Don't give me that!" Ryoko exclaimed. "You could have blocked it out at any time."  
  
"True. My curiosity got the best of me though. I had to make sure my little Ryoko was ok, after all, you have been depressed lately." Washu explained.  
  
"Yeah, well, I'm over that now." Ryoko spat.  
  
"No you're not, and it's not nice to lie to your mother, Ryoko." Washu stated.  
  
"Oh give up your phony 'mom' act, Washu." Ryoko said, the venom clear in her voice. Washu just stared at her with a hurt expression. Ryoko felt a pang of guilt at this, but instead of apologizing, she just got up and walked out of the lab.  
  
'My poor Little Ryoko.' Washu thought. 'If only I could've been there for you when it really mattered.'  
  
**************  
  
That night Ryoko sat up on the roof and gazed at the stars again. She now realized that she was starving herself of her life-energy, but she didn't do anything about it. She was slowly killing herself this way, and it was undetectable, even to Washu. She could keep starving herself of energy until Tenchi made his choice, and if he chose her, she could reverse it quickly, and if he didn't, she'd just let it kill her. It was the perfect plan. She'd spent the entire night thinking about and perfecting her plan, and now dawn was upon her.  
  
'I know I promised to stay away from Tenchi,' she thought, 'but as long as I'm gone before he wakes up, he'll never have to know.' She phased into Tenchi's room and floated above his bed as usual. As soon as he started to awaken, she reluctantly left. When he came downstairs to breakfast, she just gave him a simple 'good morning' and went on with her business. This caused her to receive suspicious glares from Ayeka, but she pretended not to notice.  
  
Things went on this way for a few weeks. Ryoko was seen less and less often, but it happened so gradually that no on really noticed. Ryoko couldn't be around the other family members very much, or they would notice her weakened state. Washu knew what Ryoko was doing, but only because she harbored a mind-link with her and could feel what Ryoko felt. Washu knew there was no way to stop Ryoko from doing this. If Tenchi didn't choose her, Washu could keep her alive, but there was nothing saying she wouldn't try it again. The only way to make sure Ryoko got all her needed energy was to hook her up to a machine and keep her hooked up to it, but it wouldn't be worth it. Washu knew that if Tenchi didn't choose Ryoko, she would lose her daughter for good. Unless, of course, she was able to convince Ryoko that life was worth living, even without Tenchi, but that would be damn near impossible.  
  
As the weeks passed, Tenchi began spending more time with Ayeka. He'd never been able to with Ryoko hanging all over him, but now that she was giving him his space, he realized how perfect him and Ayeka were for each other.  
  
They were sitting together on the dock one night, looking at the water stretched out in front of them, when Tenchi did something very surprising.  
  
"Ayeka, I… I love you." He blurted out. Ayeka just stared at him in awkward disbelief.  
  
"T, Tenchi, does, does this m, mean?" Ayeka stammered.  
  
"Yes, it does, Ayeka. I love Ryoko very much also, but not in the same way. I choose you, Ayeka, and I realize I should have done this a long time ago." He replied.  
  
"Oh, Tenchi!" She exclaimed, "None of that matters now." She pulled him into a kiss, and they shared a passionate moment under the stars.  
  
Unknown to them, they were being watched. Ryoko was up on the roof and noticed them together. As soon as she saw Ayeka kiss Tenchi, she was infuriated, but he didn't pull away. He actually kissed her back. At that moment, Ryoko realized that Tenchi wasn't coming back to her. She'd let him go for him to run to Ayeka's open arms. Ryoko's eyes suddenly stung with her own tears. She cried through the entire night. Little did she know that down in the depths of the lab, Washu was crying also. However, Washu was crying because she knew that any day now, she would lose her daughter, and with her, her entire life.  
  
**************  
  
A couple of days went by before Tenchi worked up the nerve to tell Ryoko about his decision.  
  
"Ryoko," he said as her walked up to her. "I have something I need to tell you." His voice was clearly uneasy. Ryoko decided to save them both the time and trouble; she was weak now and didn't want to waste her time with this.  
  
"No need, Tenchi." Ryoko said. Tears escaped her eyes despite herself. "I know all about you and Ayeka. I saw you kiss on the dock that night from the roof."  
  
"I'm sorry, Ryoko. I didn't want to hurt you," he explained.  
  
"I know you didn't, Tenchi. Just know that I love you," She replied as she faded away, leaving Tenchi standing there dumbfounded.  
  
**************  
  
Ryoko sat on the roof with her knees tucked under her chin when she heard the clang of a ladder against the house and saw a head of purple hair on its way up.  
  
'Great.' Ryoko thought sarcastically. 'Just the person I want to talk to.' She only had a few hours left, and Ayeka was not who she wanted to spend that time with,  
  
"Why?" Ayeka asked as she reached the roof, only to receive a confused look from Ryoko. "Why did you do it?" Ayeka had noticed how Ryoko had backed off Tenchi. She knew it was the only reason Tenchi had ever had the guts to make a decision, and she wanted to know why Ryoko did it.  
  
"Do what, Princess?" Ryoko asked annoyed.  
  
"Let Tenchi go. Why?" Ayeka asked again. She genuinely cared about the answer to this question. She wanted to know why Ryoko practically handed Tenchi to her on the proverbial silver platter. "Why did you give up?"  
  
"Listen, Princess, I didn't give up; I just let him go." Ryoko said.  
  
"But why?" Ayeka asked yet again. Ryoko sat there for a moment before answering.  
  
"If you really love something… let it go; if it comes back, it's yours, and if it doesn't, it never was. Tenchi was never mine. He was, is, and will always be yours, Ayeka. Treat him well, and love him forever." Was the only answer Ayeka got before Ryoko disappeared.  
  
While Ryoko had been thinking of her answer for Ayeka, she realized that Washu had done the same thing with her.  
  
'She kept letting me go,' Ryoko thought, 'Because she knew if I didn't come back, then I was never really hers.' A tear slid down her cheek as she appeared in Washu's lab.  
  
"I'm yours, Mom." She said crying as she floated up to Washu. "I'm yours."  
  
**************  
  
That night, Tenchi went up to his room to go to bed and noticed a folded piece of paper on his desk. 'Tenchi' was written on the paper in Ryoko's handwriting. He slowly unfolded the paper and began to read what was written on the inside.  
  
Dearest Tenchi,  
  
You are my life. Without you my life is not worth living, and now that I've realized I can't have you, I've decided my life is a waste. I'm sorry for everything, Tenchi. I'm sorry for keeping you from Ayeka, and I'm sorry for hurting you. I've hurt so many people in my pitiful life, and now it's time to make up for it. The last person I will ever hurt… is myself. I hope that you and Ayeka are very happy together. Goodbye, Tenchi.  
  
  
  
Love Always,  
  
Ryoko  
  
Tenchi,  
  
Sorry about what is written above. Ryoko wrote that when she was planning on killing herself, but now she realizes her life is still worth living. She wanted to leave right away, so we didn't have time to look for another piece of paper. Thank goodness she remembered she left this here on your desk! We're going to be away for a while, but we'll keep in touch and be back eventually. For now Ryoko just needs to be in space to find herself again, and we're hoping on improving our relationship a little, so don't worry about us. We'll contact you and the rest of the family soon. 'Till then, We'll miss ya!  
  
The Greatest Scientific Genius in the Universe,  
  
Washu Hakubi  
  
P.S.  
  
Always remember, if you really love something, let it go; if it comes back, it's yours, and if it doesn't, it never was.  
  
A tear escaped Tenchi's eyes as he smiled. He was sad that they were gone but glad that Ryoko decided not to kill herself. What he was most happy about, though, was that Washu and Ryoko were finally going to have the mother-daughter relationship they both needed, and, of course, that they would eventually come back. He wiped the tear from his cheek as he looked out his window and up into the stars, thinking of his two beloved friends the entire time.  
  
"I suppose if I didn't let them go," he thought aloud, "I'd never know if they were ever really mine or not, even if being mine just means that they're my family." He hadn't heard Ayeka come in, buy suddenly she was standing next to him with her arm around his waist and the note from Ryoko and Washu in her other hand.  
  
"They'll come back." She said assuredly. "They're our family, and we're theirs. They can't stay away for ever."  
  
"I know." Tenchi sighed. "No matter how wacky they are, they're ours, and they'll come back to us." Ayeka just smiled and gazed up at the stars with Tenchi, trying to spot where their friends, no, family was right now, even though she knew it would be impossible to see them from there. They stood there hand in hand, knowing everything would be ok.   
  
'Things will never be the same as they were before,' they both thought. ' No, they will be much better.'  
  
Out in space, standing on the bridge of Ryo-Ohki and looking back at that small, blue-green planet they now called home, Washu and Ryoko were thinking the exact same thing.  
  
A/N  
  
Well, there it is, my first completed fanfic ever. I hope you liked it. Email me and tell me what you thought. (TigerGem5665@Yahoo.com) I left this open for a sequel, but I don't know if I'll get around to writing one anytime soon. I've got a much longer fic in the making and want to finish it before starting another one. Plus, I've got some reading to do over the summer for school. So, if you think you could write a good sequel to this, contact me, and we'll talk about it. Thanx for reading my story. 


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